Second Tour
by Ucchan Kuonji
Summary: Set during the Vietnam War; Face has an important decision to make that could change his life forever.


Title: Second Tour  
  
Author: Ucchan Kuonji (ukyou_k@yahoo.com)  
  
Rating: PG for language  
  
Archive: If anyone actually wants this, go ahead. Just tell me where it's going.  
  
Summary: Face has an important decision to make; one that will change his life forever.  
  
Disclaimer: The A-Team, Hannibal, Face, and Murdock belong to Stephen Cannell, not me. I simply borrowed them for a little while.  
  
Author's notes: I came up with this idea while I was thinking about the timeline of the A-Team series.   
I go by the idea that the Team robbed the Bank of Hanoi during Tet of 1972.   
  
However, according to Hannibal in 'The Beast From the Belly of a Boeing', he and Face had been in 'Nam in '69: "Don't you remember, in '69, when we had six days of R and R coming?"   
  
This, I am assuming, is referring to the week leave soldiers received halfway through their tours. Therefore, Face would have had to have seen at least two tours in Nam in order to be there when the Team went on their final mission in '72. I wrote this story to explain why Face would decide to stay in Vietnam and not return home.  
  
Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Drop me a line or review please!  
  
*NOTE: word(#) means there is a short definition of that word at the end of the story*  
  
Second Tour  
  
*Vietnam 1970*  
  
First Lieutenant Templeton 'Faceman' Peck walked slowly out of Colonel Morrison's office, his release forms gripped tightly in his hand.  
  
He had known this day was coming. Hell, all the guys in Nam knew when the last day of their tour was, yet Face couldn't help but feel like his life had started slipping away from him the moment his DEROS(1) had approached. As bizarre as that sounded, he knew it was true. All he had to do was hop a slick, report to Camp Alpha(2) and he'd be back in California in no time at all. Disturbingly though, Face couldn't get too worked up about it.   
  
For the last month, others had commented on his lack of the 'thousand-yard stare' and the absence of the typical 'short-timer' attitude. Hadn't he had enough, people would ask him, of the heat and dust, wet and mud, leeches and mosquitoes, disease, rice paddies and mountains, bad food, endless patrols, rotten feet, playing bush tag with a bunch of VC and NVA? Of course he had. No one sane could possibly enjoy this place.   
  
He would leave it all behind in an instant, without a shred of regret. Yet there was something that prevented him from doing so. Here he had found companionship; friendships that he never thought were possible. The bonds he had formed in this hellhole had changed him for the better. He was no longer Templeton Peck, the worthless orphan no one wanted, he was the Faceman, a valued member of a team.   
  
Shaking his head to dispel the odd feeling of loss that came with his impending return to the States, the lieutenant wandered around camp until he saw his commanding officer, the one man that Face looked up to most, Colonel John 'Hannibal' Smith.  
  
Smith saw Peck heading his way and he lit a cigar while waiting for the young man to catch up. He also saw the papers clutched in his lieutenant's hand and knew immediately what they were for.  
  
Peck's last day in Vietnam was finally here. And it couldn't have happened to a better kid. Hannibal had seen the boy Face had once been and he had seen him become the man he was now.   
  
Hannibal shook his head in disgust at that thought, since when were people barely twenty years old considered men? Since they came to Nam of course, his brain replied. Hannibal was shaken from his thoughts as Face was suddenly right in front of him.  
  
"Hannibal, can we talk?"  
  
"Of course." Hannibal pointed at the papers Face held and grinned.  
  
"This is it Face. Your tour is over, you can go back to the World(3)." Colonel Smith smiled at his young second in command, and only then noticed the unease in the twenty-year old's eyes. "What's wrong Lieutenant? I thought you'd be ecstatic. Any guy here would kill for those papers."  
  
"Except you, right Hannibal?" Face spoke so softly his CO almost missed it.   
  
"What do you mean, kid?"   
  
"This is your third tour right? So how come you haven't gone home?"  
  
"I'm not sure what you're getting at Face, but sure. I could have gone back to the States, but you know the Army. They would probably stick me behind a desk. Can you imagine me with a desk job?" They shared a grin at the mental picture their minds conjured up. "Besides," Hannibal added, suddenly turning serious, "there are thousands of men here who want nothing more then to be home. If I can help further that cause and maybe save the lives of some of those men, then it's worth a hundred tours in this God forsaken place.  
  
"So anyway kid, you never answered my question. What's wrong?"  
  
Templeton Peck didn't answer right away; instead he glanced around the base camp, at the tents, at the tired, worn-out men who went about their business. He felt the suppressing heat, the stifling humidity. If he listened closely he could swear he heard the sounds of machine gun fire in the jungle and men screaming in pain. God, how he hated this place.  
  
Then he looked at the man standing in front of him and made his decision. "I want to sign up for a second tour."  
  
John 'Hannibal' Smith didn't surprise easily, but the impact of Face's declaration stunned him to the core. "Face... kid... Templeton. Why in God's name would you do something like that?! You can go home! You can go back to college, meet a beautiful woman, get married, have a couple kids, get a dog. You can't do that here. There's nothing here but blood, pain, and death. Don't throw your life away kid. I know how much you hate this place, how much it's taken from you. But you have in your hand the ticket out of here. Use it Face!"   
  
Face stood quietly throughout Hannibal's heartfelt exclamation, and Hannibal could still see the determined light in his eyes. A sudden thought struck him and he blurted it out before he could think, "Jesus, kid. You're not a burnout(4) are you?"  
  
Peck shook his head in denial. "It's nothing like that Hannibal; I'm not staying just so I can blow some more VC to Kingdom Come. You have to understand, I have nothing to go back to." Face raised a hand and stopped the colonel in mid-protest. "My life before the war was nothing to write home about." A fleeting image of Leslie flitted through his mind before he continued, "I feel like I can do something over here, something that matters. You said yourself that I was one of the best soldiers you had ever served with!   
  
"I want to stay with you Hannibal; I love being part of a Team! I've never belonged to anything or anyone before this. It makes me feel like my life is worth something!" Face paused and lowered his eyes from the colonel's piercing blue gaze before whispering, "Don't abandon me too Hannibal."   
  
Colonel Smith looked at the solemn young man in front of him and his brain told him to talk the kid out of staying. There was really no logical reason for him to stay in Vietnam, Hell, he could be shot and killed tomorrow if he stayed. But then, his heart argued, he could die in a car crash back in the States and you would never know would you? "This is crazy kid. Totally and absolutely insane. Anyone would think you're turning into Murdock." Hannibal saw Peck's dejected look and continued against his better judgement. "But, you're right. You are one the damn best soldiers I've ever seen, and I'd love to have you stay with my unit. But only if you're one hundred percent sure this is what you want."  
  
A brilliant smile lit up Peck's face and he nodded an affirmative. "It is Hannibal. As much as I hate it here, I don't think I could be content anywhere else. Oh, and Murdock is eccentric not insane." Face smiled again and then turned to go to the Base CO and tell him his decision. After a few steps he turned back to Hannibal. "It's actually a very good thing you're keeping me as your supply officer Colonel."  
  
"Why is that, Face?" Hannibal asked, although he already knew dozens of reasons why.  
  
"No one else can get the brand of cigars you like!" Face winked and sauntered away, leaving Hannibal shaking his head with pride. The kid really was something else.  
  
End  
  
(1)*DEROS: Date Eligible to Return from Overseas  
  
(2)*Camp Alpha: The out-processing center near Saigon  
  
(3)*The World: Anywhere except Vietnam  
  
(4)*Burnout: Men who had very little time remaining in Vietnam, who generally suffered from Survivor's Guilt. They wanted to kill one more Gook before they left. 'Burn-outs thought they were invincible...they got angry and wanted revenge before they left...you'd often see them extend their tours by another six months...' -From NAM: The Vietnam Experience 


End file.
